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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Mike in a Motorcycle Accident

Gas is dreadfully expensive where I live. So much so that many people like ourselves opt out of having a car, because the costs of running it are prohibitive. Some people decide that since it uses less gas, but still allows you a method of transporting yourself easily, that it's a worthwhile thing to get a motorcycle. Mike, my husband, once broached the topic with me of getting a motorbike as a vehicle, to allow him to more easily get to work, etc... I told him that I would never support that idea- motorcycles are too dangerous, and I love him too much to let him get a motorcycle and put his life at risk like that.
He understood my point and that was that.
I never assumed, therefore, that he would be involved in a motorcycle accident.
But he was today.
He was hit by a motorcycle, and is currently recuperating at home. Fortunately, the injuries aren't too bad.

Let me tell you what happened.

This weekend, we went to visit my husband's brother and his family. We were taking a leisurely walk down a dirt path at the outskirts of the community, a nice relaxing Saturday afternoon activity. I was walking ahead with my kids and father in law, my husband was walking behind me with his 7 month pregnant sister in law and 4 year old niece.
We passed by a group of teenagers, one standing with is motorbike, and one with a horse. They acknowledged our presence.

Less than a minute later, the motorbike came barreling down the rocky, dirt path/road, directly at my sister in law and niece. At the last second, he swerved and hit my husband in the thigh, throwing my husband into the thorn bushes at the side of the road, with the biker landing on top of him, and the motorcycle landing on top of him.

My husband must have blacked out or otherwise his mind blocked it out, because he remembers the motorcycle aimed straight at him, and doesn't remember anything until he was already standing again. But I saw him on the ground, guy on top of him, bike pinning down the two of them, and us needing to pick up the bike.

For a moment, my sister in law thought he was dead. At first, I didn't realize it was Mike. I thought it was two crazy idiots riding a motorbike where we were walking, and they fell over. When it hit me that it wasn't two riders, it was one rider on top of my husband, I started freaking out!

The guy with the motorcycle wanted to know if my husband was ok. My husband was covered in thorns, scratched up on his hands, his legs, and his back, with lots of deep splinters. His thigh, the place of impact, really hurt, as did his ankle on his other foot, which must have twisted when he was thrown by the bike. He was feeling dizzy too, and was acting very disoriented.
But my husband doesn't like to make a big deal out of anything. He was pretending he wasn't really hurt, that it wasn't a big deal, and didn't want us calling the ambulance. He was prepared to let this guy go. My husband doesn't like to make trouble.
But my sister in law, the one who was nearly hit by the motorbike, was really upset, obviously, as was I, and she and her husband and all of us started asking this guy some questions. We took down the license number of the bike, and asked this guy his name, how old he was, if it was his bike or not, where he lived, etc...
He said his name was Leron Mamo, he was 17 years old, had a motorbike license, and he lived on Lee Avenue. (Names and locations obviously changed.) He said it wasn't his motorbike, he borrowed it, but wouldn't tell us from who. He also wouldn't take off his helmet, despite us asking him to repeatedly, so we'd be able to identify him. But we assumed that it wouldn't be too hard to identify him,even if we just saw the sliver of face by his eye peeking out of the helmet- the eyebrow piercing made it easy to identify him. And we had his name and where he lived anyhow, as well as the license plate. And a 10 year old kid who witnessed the whole thing confirmed that his name was Leron Mamo.
We should have called the police right there, but stupidly we didn't.

When we got home, Mike hobbling home, my 10 year old niece, who witnessed the whole thing, was freaking out. For hours. She was really, really, traumatized. As was Mike, but he's a little too macho for his own good to admit it.

We decided to go to the police. I was trying to convince Mike to go to the urgent care center, but he was saying it's not a big deal, it's just a sprained ankle and he's felt worse before. But I was concerned that maybe something would develop, and if maybe he would have problems working because of it, we'd have nothing to prove this injury unless we went to the urgent care center, etc... We also convinced Mike to go to the police, which he was also reluctant to do, because we said its not just about Mike's injury, or lack thereof. It is that this kid, riding wrecklessly where people often take strolls, is a menace to society, as is the guy who lent him the bike, which he should never have been allowed to do. And no, it was quite clear that he didn't have a license and didn't know how to ride, from the crazy way he was riding the bike.

But before we'd go to the police, I decided to do a little detective work on my own, find out where exactly this guy lived, and find out whose bike it likely was.
I went to the street where he claimed to live, Lee Avenue, and asked the teenagers I saw there if they knew a guy, Leron Mamo, who lived on that street. They said they know Leron Mamo, but he doesn't live on Lee Ave, he lives on Avenue Cee, a few blocks down, and directed me to his house.
When I got there, I asked people in the area for confirmation that this really was Leron Mamo's house, and got confirmation. Some teenagers in the street said that first of all, Leron was not 17, and he didn't have a license- he was only 15 years old, and had no license, and they've seen Leron ride motorbikes a few times, that he borrowed from this friend, 17 year old OJ Ray, who lives on Savoy Street.
I walked over to Savoy street, asking teenagers there if they knew OJ Ray, and they all started getting very, very defensive. "No, we don't know who OJ Ray is, or where he lives. Oh wait, we actually know him, he doesn't have a motorbike, absolutely not. And I'm his sister." For example...
But no, they wouldn't tell us where we could find him.

I kept onward, not giving up yet.
I asked more and more people. Finally, I asked a little boy, who looked familiar. He was the boy who said that the guy who hit us was Leron Mamo. He sheepishly looks at me and said the guy who hit your husband wasn't Leron Mamo, and it wasn't OJ Ray's bike. I just didn't want to tell you who he really was, because he was lying to you and I was afraid he'd hurt me if I told you the truth.
I pleaded with him to please tell me the truth about who it was that hit my husband, and he said only if I swore that it wouldn't get back to them that he was the one who tattled. I said there is no way I'd let those guys know who tattled.
He told me that it was this guy Omar Rati, who was 15, and lived on Lee Ave (like the guy had originally said), and that the reason he said Leron Mamo and wouldn't take off his helmet was because he knew Leron would be able to take the blame because he looks similar around the eyes, eyebrow piercing at all, and that we'd believe that it was him. In other words, he framed this other guy to take the blame, and thought we'd fall for it.
He also told us that he's pretty sure that the guy who's motorcycle it was was Damon Myers, a different 17 year old guy.

When I came home, and told Mike what I'd discovered in my sleuthing everyone was amazed, said I should join the police force. ;) Mike was very thankful, and said that actually, he doesn't need me to confirm that it was Omar Rati who actually was the one on the motorbike, because Omar Rati's dad is Mike's co-worker, and he was thinking that the guy looked familiar, and now realized why- because he knows him! So everything fell into place. My sleuthing discovering the guy lied to our face about his age, if he had his license, what his name was, etc.... and now we know the truth.

So we went to the police station with this information, told them that we're pretty sure it was Omar Rati who ran into Mike, with license plate xyz, but he claimed to be Leron Mamo... They took us seriously, and told us though, that we should go to the urgent care center so we would have the necessary paperwork for a claim against these guys, also the bike rider, and also the bike owner.
When we told them who hit him, and whose bike we suspected it was, we saw the police men exchange a look... We're pretty sure these names are familiar to them, they must be known trouble makers...

We went to the urgent care center, confirmed that nothing is broken, only sprained, and on the way home, his foot started hurting even more, as did his shoulders, etc... He was pretty much screaming in pain every time he took a step.... I felt so bad for him!
And after that, I had to go take out at least a dozen or more deep thorns from his back, and he took out another 10 deep ones from his hands...
And he keeps on having flashbacks of the motorbike zooming at him...

Tomorrow, we're going back to the police station and lodging the complaint with the detective.
And we're probably going to pursue this and sue the guys (mostly the motorbike owner/his insurance) in court (hopefully small claims court)- also for the injury, for the missed work, and also so they learn their lessons, also to never drive wrecklessly, and also to never lend out a motorbike to someone who doesn't know how to ride/doesn't have a license. We were told that we be able to get a few thousand from this, but personally, if we'd do this, it wouldn't be about the money. It would be about making the street safer. We were very lucky that a) it was Mike that was hit and not someone more fragile and b) that he landed in thorn bushes and not on the rocks that were right nearby.

I've never been thankful for an injury before, and neither has Mike, but in this case, we can't help but saying over and over again "I'm so glad it was him/me, and not the pregnant sister in law or the 4 year old kid- it was THIS close to possibly ending in tragedy!"

Anyhow, just wanted to let you know what is going on.

And if anyone has some natural remedies for these types of injuries, other than arnica (already using), I'm happy to hear them.

13 comments:

I'm so sorry that this happened to Mike! The rest of your family also feels the trauma, and the consequences of those careless and unthinking people. I'm glad you reported this, because they need to be brought up short, and shown that there are consequences for THEM for their actions. I don't have a remedy to share, except that I'm sure many of your readers are praying for Mike and your family. I hope that comfort comes, both physically and emotionally! God bless!

I always enjoy your blog, but rarely comment. I had to today...So sorry to hear this! I hope your husband heals quickly...physically and emotionally. Thank God it wasn't worse (I'm glad you're able to look at the glass half full). Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I entered a comment yesterday and it didn't get published?? Gremlins at work, no doubt. I suggested a salve called Prid which is natural and very effective at drawing out thorns, foreign bodies etc. It's cheap, too.

I'm so sorry this happened to Mike! I sort of literally feel his pain right now. I sprained my ankle very badly in October 2011 and it has just never healed right. I thought I was fine but every time I do anything more strenuous than my basic day to day commute/errands it flares up and aches horribly. Not so bad for me, I'm only on my feet a lot once a year for work, but I think you've mentioned that Mike has a more physical than desk job. Don't let anyone downplay things with "oh, it's only a sprain!"

I don't know how much it worked beyond regular arnica but I had the Mountain Rose Herb's "Injur Heal Balm: Contains: Organic Arnica Flowers, St. John's Wort flowers, organic Calendula flowers, organic Olive oil, Beeswax, organic Lavender essential oil, and Vitamin E oil. " and I do think it helped some. I also had one acupuncture appointment; I should probably have done more but they're quite expensive.

Oops - one more thing. I don't know if this happens to men and/or thinner folks, but my feet swell a lot when I'm on them for long periods of time. (I hear about pregnancy feet swelling... I guess I've just never asked a guy or a skinny girl). I got a hard-core lace-up brace when I went to urgent care but I couldn't get it to work where it supported my ankle but also didn't get uncomfortably tight and make the skin hurt as much as the ankle.

I like this brace quite a lot for everyday wear: http://www.futuro-usa.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Futuro/Global/Products/Product-Catalog/~/Slim-Silhouette-Ankle-Support?N=5148273&rt=rud

So glad your husband came out this well. Your food detective instinct turned to crime detective work! You are amazing as always.

Young people need education in driving. The insurance of a young male is so high here in the US because they are so careless typically.

Two years ago we were hit by an uninsured driver who was three times the legal limit for alcohol consumption and we were not able to sue in the end. My husband and I went through lots of therapy for our backs and neck and my wrist since I was the one driving and trying to maintain control of the car.

Penny,a little advice from a US herbalist hopefully you have this stuff growing right now. Get some colloidal silver and have Mike start taking a couple dropperfuls a day to help with infection. Next if you have plantain growing pick ALOT, find someone with a comfrey plant who will hopefully let you also have alot. Wash comfrey leaves and plantain leaves well. Now put them in a food process turn it on and start pouring in aloe vera gel. You will get a very thick green poultice put this on all hurt places, wrap it around areas with a white cloth like an old t-shirt cut into apropriate bandage shape. Cover the bandage with plastic wrap (this holds in the moisture) change when the poultice feels dry to the touch. I have healed some terrible wounds on animals this way, and cured alot of tendon and bone issues in people. I use it on open wounds on horses and animals and myself it will help brusies, damaged tissue and bones. Have him drink plenty of comfrey tea. I know there is a bunch of stuff out there about how comfrey causes cancer with prolonged use its not really quite true (faulty study) but you should use it respectfully. Good for you for suing absolutely riculous. Blessing and healing for your family

Mike is such a tough guy. Good thing you convinced him to go to the police station to report this incident and to the health center to check for possible injuries. It was a wise decision to investigate on your own, and you were lucky you found out who the real liable person is in this accident. Anyway, how’s Mike now? I hope he’s recovered already.

Motorcycle accidents are those kinds which are really terrifying. But I’m glad that Mike survived the accident. I just hope that there will be a proper sanction for the kid that hit you. Anyway, I just hope that he has recovered now and that you have already received the claims from the offending party.

I know i'm commenting a little late since this blog has been posted, but I just wanted to let you know that I loved reading your story! What you did was absolutely appropriate and necessary! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for leaving a comment on your blog. Comments are moderated- please be patient to allow time for them to go through. Opposing opinions are permitted, discussion and disagreements are encouraged, but nasty comments for the sole purpose of being nasty without constructive criticisms will be deleted.Just a note- I take my privacy seriously, and comments giving away my location or religion are automatically deleted too.

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Hello there! I'm Penny, author of Penniless Foodie in the Wild, an adaptable cookbook for frugal people like myself who like to eat great food. I'm a mom of four who loves to blog about how to have the best life possible while living on a relatively low income. We're a "crunchy", gluten-free family, homeschooling, homebirthing, autism, natural parenting family.I'm always happy to receive emails from readers at pennilessparenting@yahoo.com.

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